


The Necromancer

by Rased



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - Fandom, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cthulhu Mythos, F/M, Fluff, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 17:49:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rased/pseuds/Rased
Summary: Nicholas Wilde and Judy Hopps venture into the depths beneath Bunnyburrow to fight the eldritch evil that lurks below. Armed with steel and determination, will they slay the Necromancer or will they end like the heroes before them?My ZTG Secret Santa gift for KK, merry Christmas!





	The Necromancer

**Author's Note:**

> Great thanks to Naoha and ComicAnon for their help in editing this work!
> 
> Also merry Christmas to KK, I hope you like your gift ;)

_This may very well be the worst ambush ever performed._

 

This was the thought that came to my mind the moment I stabbed one of our would-be murderers in it's eye socket. They were four before I dispatched the late and unlamented leader of their party, four rotting walking corpses, that were once mammalian as is evident by the tufts of fur still hanging on their bones and what little flesh there is left.

 

At least two of them were of canine origin, I realized, as a cold shiver went down my spine. I would hate to share their fate. The remaining two are too mutilated to still be identifiable, though they are roughly my size, so about the size of an adult male Vulpes Vulpes. Not too, impressive all things considered. I had imagined them to be bigger.

 

I really should stop these idle musings; sluggish these Undead may be, but they remain a threat. The knife I used to stab them is still embedded in the skull of my hapless enemy- I have to drop it, otherwise its body would pull me down.

 

_Brilliant. Very good planning on my part._

 

One of the others tries to capitalize on my misstep and attempts to bash my head in with a wicked looking club, but before it can finish its motion, its head is cleaved in half by a big two-handed sword swung, by a certain bunny.

 

_Too close._

 

“Watch it, Slick!” I hear her yell to my right. Judy, the bunny Paladin; clad in plate armor that reflects the torch light in a beautiful way, accentuating her curves rather nicely. Why a Paladin would wear armor with molded-out breasts is a mystery all on its own, but I thank the gods for their small mercies.

 

I should really pay more attention to my immediate surroundings (and the enemy especially), but not appreciating the fine physical form of my companion would be a crime against all of mammalkind.

 

“Yeesh Carrots, you make it sound as if we were fighting for our lives or something!” I reply with a forced lazy grin. Her long gray ear twitches as she snorts a laugh. She is now beside me in a defensive stance, eyeing the remaining Undead.

 

Seeing as my melee weapon is preoccupied, I ready one of my flintlock pistols housed in my greatcoat.

 

I guess our enemies would have routed by now- that is, if they were capable of higher thought. The hallway we were walking through before being ambushed is made of cyclopean stone, dimly lit by the torches Carrots and I are carrying. The smell is abhorrent; rotting flesh, moldy brickwork and something unidentifiable but inherently sinister, which makes my hackles rise.

 

The remaining canine corpse attempts to hit my bunny, but she is agile enough to deftly parry the strike. _I myself would have dodged that,_ I think as she grunts under the force of the impact. Before the second Zombie can join in the merry brawl, I bring my pistol to bear and shoot.

 

The shot is deafening in the enclosed space, yet it lacks the desired effect as I only manage to hit it's torso. _That would have killed anyone I know._ But the thing doesn't even notice the gaping hole in its chest.

 

Before I can regret not aiming for it's head it is already upon me and I am locked in a lethal tussle. The Zombie is trying to grab my limbs. I can't let that happen if I wish to avoid the fate of our predecessors.

 

I push it back with a swift kick. It hurts quite a bit to hit the decomposing thing; the lack of soft flesh on my target doesn't help me here. Through this I have gained precious moments of recuperation. I flip the gun in my hand in order to use its butt, alas before I can do anything fancy, it already pounces me again.

 

This time I am prepared for it, but I still get a viscous nick on the arm I used to halt it's advance. I have to act fast now, it is far too close for comfort. It's mouth is wide open as it attempts to bite me. The teeth it has left appear highly dangerous to my well being, and despite the coolness of the stagnant air I begin to sweat.

 

Carrots is still busy with her rotting cadaver, so she won't be any help in the near future. In a desperate struggle I manage to free the arm holding the pistol. In an act of utter savagery I repeatedly hit the Zombie's head until it cracks open. As it goes down I am showered in dust and bone splinters.

 

_Heh. Serves you right._

 

Judy has, by now, pushed her attacker back, and is starting to advance. Reloading my pistol would take to much time, so I simply drop it and pull another out of my many pockets. But I needn't worry, my cute little Paladin has already bashed the thing's head in.

 

“Welp that sure was something!”, I nudged as I retrieve my dropped pistol.

 

She huffs at that, still a bit winded. “Didn't you boast that we wouldn't be ambushed, what with you being 'oh so talented' at scouting, Nick?”

 

“Eh, I still am not sure if this even was an ambush, rather than us stumbling into their resting place,” I shrug, still shaken by our close call.

 

* * *

 

 

We push on, through deserted corridors and ancient crypts. These hallways are timeless and show an indifference towards our traversing them.

 

If I were to look more intensely, I might find evidence of premammalian culture, a race beyond time and space- but I know better than to give into my curiosity.

 

The banter between my companion and I is strained, forced. We both know it to be a farce, a sorry attempt to lighten the dark and oppressing mood that has befallen us.

 

My mind wanders to our attackers again.

 

Once they were mammals like us, with a personality, ambition, loved ones, perhaps even a lover. Now they roam these abominable hallways beneath the Mansion of Bunnyburrow; always on the hunt for fresh meat; doomed to an eternity of hunger and rage.

 

“Until someone brings them salvation,” Hopps says.

 

A whisper in the darkness. Judy's ears, in constant alert since our departure, try to pinpoint its source. At least I believe that is what is happening.

 

I clutch my pistol closer to my person, and stretch the other arm that is carrying my knife.

 

“Anything?” I whisper.

 

She pauses, turning her head ever so slightly. “Just the wind...”

 

I release a breath I didn't notice I was holding in. My nerves are on the fritz. My tail is completely fluffed out, an obvious sign of the pressure I was experiencing.

 

We push on, our task is still unfinished.

 

* * *

 

 

The campfire crackles comfortingly in the small crypt we secured for our rest. I made sure to set up traps and to barricade the door, so that we may rest in peace.

 

_Heh. Come to think of it, if things go badly we probably won't rest in peace._

 

Too dark, even for my tastes, so I refrain to crack this joke to my companion. She seems uneasy enough without my gallows humor reminding her of the very real possibility of our demise and our sordid afterlife.

 

I can't think like this, we will push on, we will complete our task and we will return as redeemers of this forsaken place.

 

I let my gaze drift over our small sanctum. The chamber is comparably small, filled with bits of rubble and a sarcophagus as center piece (sadly and happily empty: Carrots had feared a lurking abomination; I had hoped for riches).

 

The walls were- I can no longer ignore it- carved by hands that no mammal could have. A short study would suggest that it's owner had seven digits on one hand, with the possibility of a thumb. I stretch my own paw out and rub my knuckles, thinking about it makes me uneasy.

 

The ceiling is high, high enough that two rhinos could stand atop of each other, even though they could not stand shoulder to shoulder in the narrow chamber.

 

The stone on the floor is still cyclopean. How someone (or something) could have managed to build a perfectly square room with this technique is beyond me and, quite frankly, unsettling. While this place appears to be geometrically correct on the first glance, I can't help but feel that something is off.

 

Looking even closer I get the impression that the angles are somehow wrong. As if the corners had slightly too much or slightly too few degrees.

 

This line of thought is making my head hurt. So, instead of continuing my observation, I enjoy the warmth of the fire and even the relative coolness of the armor plates of my bunny, who is leaning on me, for both of our comfort.

 

I'd like to always remember this moment: sitting in front of a fire, with Judy at my shoulder. No talk is necessary, we are completely in tune. Our unease is palpable, but for now we choose to ignore it for the sake of this shared camaraderie.

 

I lay an arm around her and stroke her head. Her helmet lies besides her, the only piece of armor she took off for the rest. She eases into my touch after tensing up for a moment, and I continue my idle ministrations.

 

My hand explores the scars on her cheek. A souvenir from her crusade. A battle won for a personal price.

 

Even while she is wary, battled and exhausted, I muse to myself that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. After short thought, I elect to tell her that, not knowing if I ever will get another chance.

 

She blushes and looks away from me. _Heh, still got it._

 

Her head suddenly snaps again to me, and I begin to fear that she has heard something that must bring our short moment of peace to an end, before she lunges at me.

 

I am pressed on the ground, fixed in place by an armored Bunny Paladin. Funny how things turn out. She has already kissed me fiercely when I managed to gather my wits.

 

She is surprisingly soft, even in full plate. My paws grab her hind quarters, and I amusingly find out that her glutes are not armored. Her tongue is slow dancing with mine, and I think to myself that this almost makes our quest seem worth it.

 

Before I know it, this moment, that seems to last for all eternity and at the same time only a few seconds, simultaneously, ends. She still lies upon my chest, but even with her armor she barely weighs as much as I myself.

 

“No more flirting, Slick. We need sleep”, she whispers into my ears. I shiver, and truly regret not finding an excuse to continue, but we do need sleep and removing armor and clothing for a short roll in figurative hay is simply not up for discussion.

 

* * *

 

 

We push on, the end of our task is at our paws.

 

The Necromancer's lair lies before us, I know it to be true. I can almost taste the maliciousness that drenches the air. I constantly want to retch, yet I dare not make a sound lest I betray our approach.

 

She must be here.

 

The fallen and betrayed scholar.

 

And her retinue of the Undead.

 

I know not what awaits us beyond the chapel doors that now stand before us in these god forsaken depths of ancient antediluvian evil. The last hours of our journey were spent in a realm of unsettling silence, every step we took offending the unhallowed ground.

 

My eyes wander to my companion. She is still stalwart, but even though she tries to hide it, I can tell she is afraid, just like myself. She grips her sword tightly as if her life depended on it.

 

Our chance of redemption lies ahead. We push on.

 

* * *

 

 

“Run Carrots! We can't fight these things!” I yell as I discharge my fourth pistol. I miss my target, my paw is too shaken by my terror.

 

“No! Nick, I know we can do it! Trust me!” my bunny shouts as she arks her zweihänder around herself.

 

The situation is beyond bad. And to make matters worse I get clipped by a badly aimed crossbow bolt.

 

The chapel, if this even deserves to be called as such, is corrupted beyond salvation. Unspeakable rituals have taken place here as is evident by the blood soaked altar, and the poor souls whose rotting corpses are still chained to the banks.

 

The Necromancer, a woman whose head is hidden beneath a sack, is still chanting in that weird language of hers that is making my head hurt. She is a bit smaller than me, but I can't tell her species or, for that matter, if she even is a mammal. Still, her voice is female so I will continue to call her a she.

 

We already destroyed seven walking cadavers but they won't stop coming. I am bleeding from multiple small wounds and I think one of my ribs is at least cracked if not outright broken.

 

Carrots doesn't look any better than me, but is adamant to see this through to the bitter end.

 

There is still a chance- a hustle, if you will.

 

If I manage to kill the Necromancer, I might bring an end to this madness, at least buy us enough time to escape the deathly caverns.

 

If.

 

No time to think, I ready my last pistol and prepare myself. A steady aim is not an option, the melee is too chaotic to get a clear shot, I have to get closer.

 

Just in this moment Judy cleaves two of our enemies in half, buying me the space for a heroic deed.

 

I aim for the Necromancer's head. Nothing survives a headshot from my flintlocks.

 

The pistol rucks in my hand, I barely register the noise as my bullet exits the barrel. My shot was true. I can barely contain my terror as she still stands, a black liquid with indistinguishable facet of light entrapped in itself leaks from a neat hole in the center of where her face would be.

 

Before I can overcome my astonishment, she reaches the climax of her chanting. Ice flows through my veins and half a heartbeat later a sword pierces my chest.

 

I immediately lose my footing.

 

“No! Nick, god no!” Judy is in tears as she savagely beats the two still standing Undead warriors. She takes the time to kneel besides me and grabs my hand.

 

But I am already fading, the light leaves my eyes along with a solitary tear and a barely audible “I love you.”

 

She screams an angry warcry, rallying herself between me and the Necromancer, who has already summoned two new body guards.

 

“I WILL KILL YOU, MONSTER!” she roars, and she gives a mighty swing of her sword.

 

I wonder why I am still able to hear and see this.

 

To my horror, I begin to stand up. It is by no means as fluid as when I usually do it.

 

Carrots has now defeated the last bodyguards and is now seizing up my murderer. I want to scream at her, tell her to run, not to get killed in this forsaken place of ancient maliciousness.

 

But all I manage is a groan as I take a shuffling step towards her back. _Oh please don't let this happen._

 

Another step, she is mere meters away.

 

Her ears swivel to me, twitching. She slowly turns her head. Understanding and defeat is obvious in her teary eyes. “Nick...”

 

I lunge at her, my jaws aiming for her vulnerable neck. She doesn't attempt to defend herself as I push her down and pierce her throat with my teeth.

 

She... moans?

 

* * *

 

 

“God damn it Carrots, stay in character!” I yell at her from my chair directly opposite of the offending rabbit, who is currently making lewd noises.

 

“Snnrk- Sorry Slick, couldn't help it!” she says between snorting and laughing.

 

“Uh guys? You are kinda dead...” our dear friend, dungeon master and murderer Benjamin Clawhouser informs us. The big feline is currently looking rather embarrassed on our behalf, but also amused by our antics.

 

“Yeah, can't believe you had it in you to kill us!” I laugh while throwing my character sheet on the table, guessing I won't be needing it anymore.

 

Now he looks really embarrassed. “You told me not to go easy on you just because we are friends and you haven't done any roleplaying before...”

 

“It's alright Benji, but now I'm really curious who that Necromancer really was!” Hopps reassures.

 

I also chip in “Yeah, also who sent us the letter and whats up with the catacombs?”

 

“Guess you'll find out if you play again with new characters”, he answers with a wink. “But I really should go, it has gotten rather late and I wouldn't want the Chief to chew me out tomorrow for coming in late and tired.”

 

“Yeah, alright buddy. Luckily Carrots and I scored a day off, so we don't have to get up so early.”

 

“Goodbye Ben and thank you for playing with us!” Judy says while hugging the bubbly cheetah for all his worth. Her hugs have a surprising strength to them, as is evident by Benjamin's slight pained look.

 

He gives us simple “Sleep tight!” and leaves our apartment waving at us, in almost undue haste.

 

I settle down at our coffee table that served as our dungeon for the last five hours.

 

With a leer towards Judy, I say in my most suave voice,“Soooo~ wanna pick up where we left, Honey Bunny?”

 

 

 


End file.
